My Blog Turned 1, And I Was Tagged!

My BlogDay was May 11th. I looked forward to my blogday for quite a while, and thought I would spend that whole day with my blog, making a big deal out of it. Then the day came and I had to do a bunch of other stuff. Oh well.

Having a blog has been alot more exciting than I had counted on. It was one of those things I thought I should do to keep a record of the things I was up to craftily and artistically, but I didn't know I would actually make friends, do swaps, get a ton of new inspiration and information, and expand my ideas for future career directions.

I not at all computer-able---(What is the word??? They ask about it when you want a job...Are you computer blank? Computer proficient? Computer capable?) Anyway, whatever the word is, it does not apply to me. I still don't know enough to have a fancy page, but I have learned quite a bit over the course of this year and look forward to learning more. A year ago a guy I know was telling me that he had just learned html, and I had no idea what he was talking about. Now atleast I know that I would like to learn it too. And photography: I would love to learn how to take better pictures of my work.

And Now, I have been TAGGED, by Jane of Jane's Designs. I need to list 7 random things about myself, and tag 7 other people. So here goes....

7 Random Things About Myself

1) I moved to California when I was 20, completely on accident.

2) I must constantly resist the urge to stick things in my ear.

3) I'm glued to the internet. It's like an endless stack of magazines. Send Help.

4) Favorite Greens: Dandelion. Kale is a very close second.

5) I take pictures of everything like a madwoman. Why? God knows. I don't.

6) I am bucknutty about kalamata olives and dijon mustard, and I'm always looking for something else to eat that I can pour some vinegar on.

7) I am a player hater.

I now tag the Knitstress, Kwoozy, Miss Meshell, Future Girl, Zana, Leethal, and Urban Gypz. If you like, write 7 random things about yourself, and tag 7 other people. If you don't like, or don't have time, don't worry about it.

I Finished Adam's Scarf

It is a really simple scarf, but I don't have real knitting skillz
yet and I took forever to finish it. I have posted about it previously here and here, and now it's done! (Besides the blocking.) Hallelujah. It is nice to finish something.

I will however, miss that yarn. (Urban Gypz). I love knitting and crocheting with pretty much any yarn, because it is fun to be creative with color combos and textures and the like, HOWEVER, it is extra special nice to knit a handspun yarn. Working with it is an interaction with something that is already art.

It's an adventure seeing how the colors arrange themselves. I'm waiting to see my friend Adam next weekend before I post pics of the whole scarf, but I am posting a few little macro shots of it. I could sit and stare at all the bits of this scarf for hours with it's diferent little worlds of colors, even though I'm not on psychedelics. If I was on psychedelics, I would definately want a scarf like this. Maybe I should make another one and send it to Terrence McKenna.

Immediately upon finishing I ordered 3 more hanspun yarns from Etsy: one from That Spinning Place, one from Luxe, and another from Mary Jane's Attic's contribution to Wonderland Retreat, which is an etsy shop to raise money for hospital bills incurred during the medical emergency of a fellow crafter, Allison Gordon. That shop is full of great stuff.

I don't know when I'll get the time to make something from my new yarns, since I have several projects right now that have turned into sagas. And I really want to buy MORE. I think Meshell is a bad influence.

Peace Is My Bag

Here are the pics of the bag I made for Jeannie of What The Hay for our craft swap. I sent her a bunch of other stuff too of course, trims and fabric and buttons and books, but the bag is the thing I really put some time into. The I Love Dirt button is from a set of buttons I ordered from You Grow Girl.

Jam-Packed Swap Package Received!

This past month I've had the pleasure of participating in the Crafty Daisies Summer Craft Swap, and today I received an amazing box crammed with cool stuff from Jeannie of What The Hay! I really wish I had taken a picture of everything when I opened the box, gift after gift tumbling out, all wrapped in the prettiest tissue paper---shades of green and coordinating patterns. (It was a lovely sight, but I was way too excited and had to tear into it.)

This bag is SOOOO great! I fit my entire box of springy colored yarns into it. She made it from a wrap skirt and some fabric she picked up at an estate sale. The ties for handles are an excellent idea that I will have to use on some future bags I make. The little hanky on the pocket is the perfect touch. AND this bag is reversible!

And all the other gifties....man, there were a TON, and they were all so thoughtful. I was touched. Let me go through the photo mosaic square by square...

1)She sent me several fun yarns, some elastic (I ALWAYS NEED THAT, and I can never find the box it's in....) They're sitting in a cool little green and blue box with a lid that all folds flat and then snaps together. Altoids covered in dark chocolate, and when they are eaten, underneath the mints, the tin is lined with a magnet sheet and needles! It's a great addition to the sewing kit. She actually has a tutorial for this needle holder. Then there is the beautiful handknit dishcloth! You cannot tell at all that there are 2 really nice dark green re-usable produce bags in this pic...One is underneath everything, and one is behind it all, stuffed with the all the tissue paper that the gifts were wrapped in. I want to save all of that and glue it to things! It's all so nice.

2)Glittery Handmade stationary made with cardstock left over from her wedding and recycled paper envelopes handstamped with dragonflies, a pretty dragonfly necklace made by one of Jeannie's friends, a fun frame, and super cool socks from Tokyo!

3)A counted cross-stitch kit to make a bib, a cute beaded bag for crochet hooks and accessories, a beaded garland with clips to hang photos, and an energy efficient light bulb that lasts 7 years!(Hallelujah! I just took one of my 2 light bulbs out of my craft room a couple days ago to have light for doing laundry. I always forget light bulbs at the store. So annoying....)

4)Seeds: Basil (yum) and Texas Bluebonnets---their state flower! ( I was born in Texas by the way.) There is also a beautiful postcard showing an entire field of bluebonnets....geez this photo mosaic cut a bunch of stuff out of the pic...(oh well....technological visual presentation empowerment will be mine someday...)...plant markers, a green sharpie, and a stack of biodegradable seed starting pots made from newspapers! I have one of them unflattened and standing up, but it is behind the basil seeds. I am about to start some seeds, so these will come in handy. AND I can figure out how to do it too, which is really exciting. A stack of homemade seed starter pots is such a sweet and perfect gift for a gardening girl. Not only am I one myself, I have friends that like to garden too, so this is very exciting.

Thank You so much Jeannie!

I was bad and sent the package I was working on a couple days AFTER the deadline, (May 7th rather than May 4th) but it should be there soon and then I can post my pics of that. Yay!

I Carved A Lotus Flower!

With the help of my teacher Shaji at Vijanana Kala Vedi Cultural Center in Kerala, India, I carved this lovely lotus flower for my Dad in the span of a week. It looks harder to do than it is. The wood was actually very soft, and the formula was simple. Of course, having an attentive and helpful teacher makes a HUGE diference when attempting a new craft for the first time, and I couldn't have asked for a better one. I loved carving on the little porch outside the woodcarving shop and chatting with my teacher and the other students. It was such a peaceful-feeling thing to do. I did not know how I would feel about woodcarving, having never done it before, and I was pleased to find out that I like it alot. I hope I will get the chance to apply and practice what I learned in India atleast once during the upcoming summer.